Security withholds alleged perv’s description

Security has received two reports of a male student behaving suspiciously in the library, and while Ryerson security has banned the individual from the facility, they haven’t released his description to the public.

“I don’t think you can release a description if the student has legally not done anything,” said Janet Mays, Ryerson’s director of harassment prevention services.

On Sept. 22, a female student reported to security that a man indecently exposed himself to her in the library.

Last Thursday, the same student was reported to be lying on the floor in the library under a study carrel where a female student was studying the man was studying. The man was banned from the library is still allowed on campus.

“The individual has only been alleged of the first incident,” Mas said. “The student didn’t really do anything on Oct. 12. He was sitting there.”

But members of student groups and staff unions want to know what the individual looks like. To voice their concerns, they wrote two letters and sent them to media outlets, including The Toronto Star and CFRB and 680 News radio stations.

The letter claimed that Ryerson security is inadequate and suggested changes to their protocol.

This shocked Mays.

She said she met with representatives from PSEU, CUPE and RyeSAC on Oct. 5 to discuss the indecent exposure incident. At that time Mays said the representatives seemed satisfied that Ryerson’s security measures were adequate.

But Odelia Bay, RyeSAC’s v.p. education, said students should still be warned about what this individual looks like.

“The purpose of getting information out is to protect ourselves,” Bay said.

Staff Sergeant Bill McLeish of Toronto police’s 52 Division said a description of the individual should be released.

“You almost have a duty to protect other students,” he said. “It’s just a general description.”

Mays said the only condition under which security would release the description of an individual is if they were looking for a suspect but didn’t know his of her identity.”